Empire of Shade
by aiai3668
Summary: After Mario fails to defeat the Shadow Queen, he is forced into servitude and the world is covered in darkness. Luigi, tasked with leading a rag-tag resistance, is the only hope they have left. Can he find a way to break Mario out and save the world, or is it too late? (Bad summary I know, the story has much more detail)
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello! This is my first published fanfic. If it is popular enough, I hope to update somewhat often, but I can't make any promises due to personal life. Other than that, I present to you the first chapter of Empire of Shade, a twist on the ending of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.**

 **WARNING: Spoilers for TTYD, if you haven't played it and don't want to know the ending, take caution before reading this.**

 **Mario and all Mario-related entities are property of Nintendo. I own nothing except for the plot.**

 **With that out of the way, please enjoy! Reviews are appreciated, constructive criticism is welcomed!**

* * *

Prologue

Long ago, there was a peaceful seaside town by the name of Rogueport.

Long ago, the town was threatened by the soul of a demon, bent on casting the world into darkness.

Long ago, seven stars made of the finest gemstones were imbued with the power to defeat the demon.

Long ago, the demon was sealed in her palace under the town, with the stars acting as the lock to its door. The stars were cast away, some given to honored groups of civilization and others simply placed as far away from the town as possible.

Long ago, the world was at peace.

Long ago, however, is much different than now.

* * *

Recently, the stars have been collected by an unexpected individual. Short, slightly chubby, but with a knack for combat, Mario Mario collected the seven Crystal Stars against all odds. With him were seven individuals, each of a different species and their own unique skills.

There was Goombella, a highly intelligent goomba with not only brains, but a nasty headbonk to boot. Koops, a cowardly koopa who originally started travelling to impress his girlfriend, but has since regained his confidence by tackling some of the most fearsome monsters in the land. Flurrie, the legendary actress and wind spirit, who could create winds of hurricane-level magnitude to whisk away her opponents. Yoshi, a newborn – well, Yoshi – with a fiery spirit and surprising strength for his young age. Vivian, the so-called Shadow Siren who was originally tasked to fight Mario, switching sides after learning the meaning of true friendship. Bobbery, the salty sea bomb who could, when pushed, quite literally cause an earthquake due to his explosion. Lastly, Ms. Mowz, the sly, cunning badge thief who specialized in finding the most valuable objects.

Together, these eight individuals were taking a rest in what they assumed to be the basement of the Palace of Shadow, where the demon's soul was said to be sealed. The had just finished a nasty fight against Bowser and Kammy Koopa, and though they were victorious, it was by a very small margin.

After drinking the last few drops of his jammin' jelly, Mario rallied his allies.

"I know this has been a long journey, guys," he began. "Heck, even I didn't expect all of this to happen. But that's not important right now. What is important is that Grodus has Peach right behind these doors, and we need to get her out of here. Are you with me?"

The partners whooped and cheered, ready to leave their mark in history.

Mario smiled. "Alright then, let's-a go!" he shouted, kicking open the doors. They revealed a large, oval-shaped room that was lit only by candlelight. It didn't take them long to spot Grodus, who had taken Peach to a small, coffin-shaped altar.

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!" Peach screamed, struggling against her bonds.

"Too bad for you, Mario!" Grodus shouted. "You're too late!"

Standing strong, Mario and his partners moved into a fighting stance, ready for whatever Grodus could throw at them.

"Gaack ack ack!" laughed Grodus. "Look well! In the coffin behind me sleeps the 'legendary treasure!' This tomb holds the soul of that ancient demon, the wielder of destruction… It will possess Peach's body… And bring to life the most powerful witch in millennia!"

"P-Possess Peach!?" shouted Yoshi. "The heck are you talking about? What demon?"

"M-Mario…" Peach muttered, her strength leaving her. "I… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have sent you that map… this is all my fault…"

"SILENCE!" Grodus yelled. "Now, this world will meet its fate! Arise! Arise, my Shadow Queen!"

Grodus pounded his scepter on the ground. Instantly, the candles' flames changed color, going from a normal red-orange to an evil jet black that emitted a purple glow. With a flash of light, the cover of the tomb slid off, causing a whirlwind of dark smoke to rise out of it. Mario and company had to brace themselves against the strong wind.

From within the tornado of darkness a figure could be seen rising out of the tomb. It was extremely tall, nearly reaching the roof of the large room. It was a dark purple in color and had several pinkish curls extending from its head. Atop the head was a large, golden crown, embedded with rubies. Two large purple hands followed the main body out of the coffin. The heroes looked up in fear of what they were faced with.

"Who… Has called me back?" the figure spoke. Its voice was quiet, much quieter than anyone expected, but had a malicious undertone to it.

"It is I, my Shadow Queen!" Grodus announced, undisturbed by the fact that he was talking to a literal demon.

"You…" The figure looked down at Grodus in what appeared to be disgust, but it was quickly replaced with the blank expression it had before. "… Very well. Is the vessel prepared?"

Grodus signaled towards peach with his scepter. "It is here! The girl that lies before you!"

The demon's mouth curved upwards in a cruel smile. "Yes… A fine vessel… Now…" It began slowly bending over Peach's now unconscious form. With another whirlwind of dark energy and a bright flash of light, the demonic figure disappeared.

Mario and company could only stare in shock at what it had become.

What was before two distinct entities had now become one, as the demon rose from the floor in Peach's body. Somehow, her clothes had changed, now much darker and more sinister. Though she had Peach's face, the once kind blue eyes and loving smile were replaced with a deep red glare and an evil grin.

"Muh huh huh… Witness my rebirth…" the possessed Peach said. She tried moving around, but appeared to have some difficulty. "Hmm… it appears my soul has not yet fully accustomed to this vessel… No matter…"

"Yes, my glorious queen!" cackled Grodus. "Destroy these fools!"

The demon looked at him in confusion. "Excuse me? You dare command ME? What sort of creature do you think you are?"

Grodus began panicking. "I-I'm the one who awakened you! You're supposed to obey the one who revives you! What are you doing!?"

The demon did not reply. Instead, she rose her arms, calling down a bolt of red lightning. Mario and his partners jumped back, startled by the raw power the demon held. Grodus's android body was destroyed, leaving only his head.

"Such lower beings will not command me. Learn your place, scum." With another lightning strike, Grodus was destroyed.

Mario and friends regained their composure. "Hey! I'm not going to let you do this!" shouted Mario.

The demon glanced over in his direction. "You? A common man? At least the other one was a general of sorts. You're nothing to me."

Mario took an aggressive step forward. "If you want to steal Peach's body and cover the world in darkness, you'll have to get through us!" he yelled. The rest of the group let out a chorus of "yeah!"

The demon laughed. "You appear to be very… Strong-willed. I need more subjects like you for my rule. I am going to offer you this once. Take your place by my side and I will… Refrain from turning you to ash."

Mario shook his head.

The demon sighed. "Of course. You still stand against me. Well, if you're looking for a fight… I'd be glad to oblige!" With another raise of her arms, the demon called back her original form, protecting her vessel inside a cloak of dark energy.

Taking a fighting stance, Mario motioned for his partners to join him. "Here we go!" he shouted. They charged at her, still holding on to that confidence that they could overcome anything they were faced with.

* * *

Oh, were they ever wrong.

The demon had powers beyond what the heroes could keep up with, whether it be a well-placed laser beam or an unsuspecting shadow hand creeping up behind them, only to slap them against the ground while the demon's other attacks did the work for them.

After a significant beating, Mario was the only one left conscious. His seven partners lay behind him, bruised and bleeding, while he was crouched on his hands and knees, wondering how he was ever going to get out of this one.

Then, it hit him.

From his inventory he pulled the seven Crystal Stars, which began to react to the demon's dark energy.

"… What? What is the meaning of this?" shouted the demon. She could only watch, terrified, as they circled around her, encasing her in some kind of sphere of light.

Shakily, Mario stood up. He did it. He won. Just like always, the red-capped plumber had saved the world. He could already hear Peach's comforting voice, thanking him for saving her, while they-

CRACK!

Jolted out of his trance, Mario looked up. The demon was no longer surrounded by the stars. Instead, they were in pieces on the ground, their once beautiful colors now dulled and lifeless.

"Hm… And to think that was all I had to do back then…" the demon mused. She turned towards Mario, grinning maliciously. "Now that your precious little gemstones are useless, maybe you'll rethink my offer…"

Mario, eyes wide from shock, shook his head out of reflex, only to get slapped by a shadow hand.

"I don't think that's the answer we're looking for, now is it?" the demon said, cruelly imitating an adult speaking to a young child. "No… this time, you're not getting a choice."

"M-Mario?"

He turned around to find his friends awake once more. Rushing over to them, he crouched down and spoke in a whisper. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… just run… get out of here… at least you can still be free for a while…"

Terrified, they followed Mario's orders, rushing out of the room as fast as they could.

The demon let out an evil chuckle. "Yes… Very good… Now come, servant. I have much to do."

Mario took one last glance at the exit door, trying to see if he could dash out while he still had the chance.

"Oh no, that won't do… rest, my servant…" The demon released some kind of spell, knocking Mario unconscious.

It was over. He had lost.

The world would be under the control of the Empire of Shade.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome back! I was surprised with the amount of positive feedback on the prologue, especially with me being so new to publishing stories! I'd like to thank DameFlemmarde, XxTerminaKonataxX, TheGameNguyener, and Fireblaze1987 for following and DalekDavros, TheGameNguyener, and XxTerminaKonataxX for favoriting!**

 **I also will be replying to reviews, so here that goes:**

 **TheGameNguyener: Thank you! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!**

 **I don't own anything except for the plot.**

 **As always, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Three Months Later

Luigi didn't like to swear.

It was a personal thing, really. He found it too vulgar and rude to describe something as "damned" or "hell" when other, more generally accepted words would suit the topic at hand just as well.

Though right now, there was only one way he could describe his current situation.

They were all fucked.

He could remember the day it started like it was yesterday.

* * *

He had been staying at the Rougeport Inn, taking some time off after his Waffle Kingdom excursion. He saw Mario around quite a bit, so he figured he'd wait until Mario was finished with his adventure so that the brothers could return home together.

After saying goodbyes to his friends, Blooey, Jerry, Torque, Hayzee, and Screamy, he returned to his room at the Inn, only to come across Mario, who was on his way out.

"Hey, bro!" Luigi said cheerfully.

"Hey," Mario mumbled.

Luigi stopped. "Something wrong?"

Mario shook his head. "It's just… These X-Nauts are relentless. It's been a long journey, bro."

Luigi sighed out of pity. "I get it, bro. How close are you to saving Peach?"

"Almost there, I think. This should be it." After saying that, Mario's expression changed to one of determination. "Don't worry about me, bro. I'm gonna make sure that everyone gets out okay!"

Luigi laughed. "Always the optimist, huh? Go get em' bro!"

He waved his brother off and went up to his room. A nap was definitely in order. After all, he had just travelled across an entire nation! Climbing onto his bed, he closed his eyes and welcomed the sweet dreams that awaited him.

A few hours later, he awoke in a cold sweat. Something was wrong. He didn't even need to think about it to know that. He could just feel something… _Wrong_ was out there. But what?

Cautiously, he went down the stairs and out into the main plaza. Upon arriving there, he found that the sky was nearly pitch black, with the only visible features being various clouds with an eerie purplish tint to them.

 _Mama mia, what's going on here?_ He pushed through the large crowd that had gathered around the area where the gallows had been.

He was utterly confused by what he saw.

What he found was Peach, standing in the middle of the clearing. But something was very wrong with her. Her normally kind, lovable expression was gone, replaced with a demeaning yet smug grin. The dark clothes she had acquired greatly enhanced the look. Her skin was deathly pale, so pale that he would have considered taking her to the hospital for blood loss. She was giving a speech of some sort, but he was too distracted and confused by all the changes she had undergone.

Then he looked behind her.

His heart skipped a beat.

 _Mario!?_

Floating behind the evil princess was his brother, trapped in a translucent sphere of purple energy. He was badly beaten, with several bruises and blood seeping from a few gashes. His clothes were practically torn to shreds, and his iconic hat was missing.

" _BRO!"_ Luigi screamed, rushing forward into the clearing. Before he could make it a few steps, however, something stopped him. He tried looking around, but saw nothing that was restraining his movements. It wasn't until he looked closer that he saw that he was surrounded by the same kind of energy that his brother was trapped in.

"Oh… Who do we have here?" said Peach. Luigi couldn't help but recoil at her voice. It was so similar to her old one, but with a horrible undertone that grated on his ears.

"W-What are you doing, Peach? It's me, Luigi! That's Mario! My brother!" Luigi said, beginning to shake in fear.

"Luigi… Mario's brother… Interesting…" Peach said. "He never said he had a brother." She turned towards Mario. "Why did you not inform me of this… thing?" she said, motioning towards Luigi.

Mario grimaced in pain as he tried to talk. "Bro… Run… Get out of… Here…"

Suddenly, Mario's body contorted in pain. He let out a scream that sent shivers down Luigi's spine.

"I am speaking to you," Peach said, venom in her voice. "You _will_ answer me."

"I… Didn't want… Him hurt…" Mario mumbled.

Peach smiled cruelly. "How adorable." She turned back towards Luigi. "Listen to me, commoner. I am not this 'Peach' you speak of. I may look like her, for I am… Borrowing her body for a while. But I am not her. I am the Shadow Queen. Your new queen."

Luigi was terrified and confused. Queen? As far as he knew the Mushroom Kingdom didn't have a queen, only a princess. And _borrowing_ Peach's body?

"W-What do you want with my b-brother?" he asked, voice trembling.

The Queen laughed. "Unlike you peasants, this man," – she motioned towards Mario – "actually serves a purpose to me. He is quite possibly the only mortal on the planet – no, in the universe – who could actually pose a threat to me. For that reason, I have decided that he would be perfect for my… personal servant."

"I-I'm sorry… Bro…" Mario whispered. "I… I lost… Please forgive me…"

"No! My bro and I, we can beat you! We've beaten bad guys way stronger than you!" Luigi shouted, trying and failing to sound confident.

Once again, the Queen let out a hearty laugh. "Stronger? Than me? Clearly, you are mistaken. I am one of, if not _the_ , strongest entity ever to have been created. Even your supposed 'hero' has bent to my will! Do not lie to yourself, scum. I am _invincible_!"

That was when he blacked out.

* * *

He was broken out of the memory by the pain of a hammer striking his back.

"Back to work, you pile of dirt! These statues ain't gonna polish themselves!"

Luigi rubbed at the spot where the hammer hit him, then went back to work. His job today was to clean and polish some of the newer decorations in the Palace of Shadow, which consisted of multiple statues of the Queen herself.

The hammer had come from a Hammer Bro who had willingly volunteered to join the Queen. Many ruffians did, as it gave them a position of power and let them mercilessly beat other citizens without needing to worry about a law.

There were three levels of citizenship now: the elder ones, which consisted of the abominations that lived in the Palace of Shadow, who were granted free access to wherever they wanted to go and whatever they wanted to do. There were the overseers, like the Hammer Bro, who kept watch over the majority of the people in the population. Lastly, there were the servants, one of which being Luigi.

There was rumor of a fourth level, in between the elder ones and the Queen herself. Luigi could only assume that this rank exclusively belonged to Mario, but he hadn't seen his brother since that fateful day.

The past few months had been a living hell for the servants. Some were relocated to the Mushroom Kingdom Mainland, some to Sarasaland, and some to the Beanbean Kingdom. Others, like Luigi himself, were kept at Rougeport, which also happened to be the Queen's main base of operations.

In the first weeks, there had been various riots, all of which had been quickly dealt with by the elder ones. As of late, it was looking more and more likely that these were the new living conditions across the globe.

Luigi sighed as he dipped the sponge into the soapy water. There had to be a way to fix this, somehow. He knew that there had to be. He grunted in pain as another hammer hit him.

"Next noise I hear out of you is gonna be your last!"

Luigi rolled his eyes. The overseers weren't authorized to kill the servants. The last time that happened… Luigi didn't want to think about what happened to that Magikoopa.

Through the silence in the room, a clear knock was heard at the door.

"Huh?" said the Hammer Bro. "That better be Mark coming to take over this shift…" He walked to the door and opened it without hesitation.

A decision he would immediately regret.

Without warning, a giant koopa barreled through the door, knocking the Hammer Bro unconscious. Another door opened, revealing a Lakitu, the overseer for the adjoining room. "Everything okay in here? I heard- "

He never finished his sentence. The koopa launched a high-speed fireball in its direction, severely burning it. Luigi spun around to get a better look at the newcomer.

" _Bowser!?_ " he said. "What are you doing here!?"

Bowser gave him a sideways glance. "What does it look like? This is a robbery!"

"R-Robbery!? What is going on!? Please ex- woah!" He was cut off as Bowser lifted him up and began running back out of the palace.

"Don't struggle and this'll go smoothly. Trust me, the worst thing that I'd do to you isn't shit compared to the crap _she's_ having you do," said Bowser. "How are you with air travel?"

"W-What do you- " Luigi was cut off again as they reached the main chamber outside the Thousand-Year Door, where there was now a hole broken in the ceiling. A Koopa Clown Car was sitting in the middle of the room atop the pedestal.

"Time to fly, greenie!" Bowser said. He jumped into the Clown Car, Luigi in tow, and took off up into the sky.

Luigi looked behind them, only to find that several elder ones, Dark Wizzerds to be specific, were giving chase to them. "Uh, Bowser, we have company!"

"Damn it, that's what I was afraid of," Bowser mumbled. He spun the car around, pulling it into a stop as he did. He pressed a button on the dashboard, causing twin Bullet Bill cannons to spring out from either side. With the accuracy of a trained rifleman, Bowser shot down the chase party one by one until the Clown Car was the only thing in the sky.

"Bwah ha ha! That's how it's done!" Bowser gloated. He resumed their course away from Rougeport.

Luigi sighed. He was scared, confused, and worst of all, stuck in a crowded space with Bowser.

The one thing he was left wondering was how things were going to get worse.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Finally, here's the next chapter! Sorry for the delay, blame Ubisoft for making Far Cry 5 so enjoyable. Not much action in this chapter, but it should come soon enough.**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **TGN: Thank you for reviewing once again! Yes, the last chapter was quite dark, and I think I made it darker than I originally wanted to (it is a Mario story, after all). While I don't have everything set in stone yet, I do plan on making future chapters dark as well, but this one's a bit more lighthearted. The Bowser part... Honestly, I was just thinking "what if...?" and that turned into the latter part of that chapter. It might be a bit sudden and glaringly out of place, but I feel like it works better after writing this one fully out. Thank you once again!**

 **With that out of the way, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2 - The Resistance

Luigi lost track of time during the flight.

After the incident with the Dark Wizzerds, it appeared that there was no other immediate threat to their travel. Occasionally Luigi would peer over the side of the craft, looking down at the land below. He could spot a few buildings that were definitely not there before the Queen's takeover, but nothing much else.

The two were silent for most of the trip. Luigi was moments away from dozing off when Bowser finally broke it. "Only a few more minutes until we're at my bunker."

Luigi cast him a confused glance. "Did you always call your castle a 'bunker'?"

Bowser's expression darkened. "No. Take a look for yourself."

Luigi looked where Bowser was pointing. What he first took to be a large mound of rocks he soon realized to be the remains of Bowser's castle. There was virtually no structure left to it, just random pieces here and there. "Mama mia… What happened?"

Bowser grunted. "This's what those freaks did to the place after I tried fighting them off. Left no prisoners. Anyone who wouldn't join their side was tortured."

Luigi paled. He knew that the elder ones were merciless, but this was… Beyond cruel. "H-How'd you get out?"

"Same way I got you out. Except with a lot more bad guys." Bowser sighed. "I thought _I_ was a villain…"

"So, um, where's this 'bunker'?"

Bowser snapped out of his memories. "Oh. Right. It's right down here."

On cue, the Clown Car began its descent. On the way down, Luigi noticed something that bothered him. "Hey, Bowser? Why aren't there any shadow guys here?"

It was Bowser's turn to go pale. "You sure you want to know?" He didn't wait for a response. "Fine. Those freaks decided that the entirety of the Darklands was useless. The drained the place dry, didn't leave anything behind that might be somewhat valuable to them. Then… The dragon came."

"D-Dragon?" Luigi said, trembling.

"Yep. I don't want to go into much more detail than that. We're here anyways."

The two climbed out of the Clown Car. Bowser led Luigi to a large mound of what looked like ash and rocks. However, after a quick stomp of his foot, it turned out to be a large metal door planted into the ground. Slowly, it opened, and Bowser motioned for Luigi to follow him.

Luigi tried to hide his apprehensiveness as they walked down the dark, narrow corridors, but it was obvious that he was very uncomfortable. Even though the Palace of Shadow was underground, he had grown used to the candlelight and large, open rooms. Going from that to his current situation was jarring, and made him contemplate if he had developed claustrophobia.

After what felt like far too long, the two reached another door. Bowser began opening it, and Luigi shut his eyes tightly. Whatever Bowser had behind that door certainly wouldn't be much better than his previous dwellings, but mostly he was afraid that this whole thing had just been a trick and-

"… And then I said to 'em, 'I don't have to do your work for you! How about you take that wand of yours and stick it up your- '"

Bowser cleared his throat. The person talking immediately went quiet.

The conversation that this person was having was intriguing enough for Luigi to risk a peek into the room. Even out of all of the negative possibilities his mind came up with, he didn't expect this.

The room turned out to be large and brightly lit, with various pieces of furniture scattered about. He could see shelves stocked with food rations and bottles of water, along with a beat-up microwave and refrigerator.

What surprised him the most was who populated the room.

His friends. Somehow, all of his friends had gotten here. He saw a blue-capped Toad, who he recognized as the one talking from before, along with Yoshi, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, and even Rosalina, somehow.

"G-Guys…?" he whispered, more to himself than anyone.

"My Grambi… you actually got him out of there?" Daisy asked, overjoyed.

"Hey, keep it down over there, will ya? I'm trying to sleep here!" Waluigi snapped. Wario elbowed him. "What was that for- oh, the green guy is here. Great." Pulling his cap back over his eyes, the purple-clad man went back to his nap.

"Yoshi yoshi!" Yoshi chirped, running over to tackle Luigi into a hug.

"I missed you too, buddy," he said. "How did you all get here?"

"We were getting treated like crap by these new guys when Bowser here came along," Toad said. "He was all like 'I can't kidnap Peach if she's possessed by a demon! We should do something!'" Bowser flicked Toad in the back of the head. "Alright, fine, I'm sorry. But anyways, we were able to sneak out and we ended up here! Pretty nice, huh?"

"Yeah, this… This is amazing compared to where I was for the past few months. I'm assuming you all got here recently?" Luigi asked.

"Nah, we've been here for… Two months? Yeah, two months. At least we have plenty of food!" Toad said happily. After seeing the expression on Luigi's face, though, his smile disappeared. "Oh… Guess I shouldn't have said that…"

"Two… Two _months_!?" Luigi burst out. "You've been here for two months and just _now_ you decide to rescue me!?"

Bowser scratched the back of his head. "Uh… Yeah, about that… we, uh, didn't really discuss you at all until she got here," he said, motioning towards Daisy. "That was a few days ago, if I remember right."

"You didn't even… Remember me?" Luigi asked. He desperately wanted someone to come out and say that this was a joke.

"I mean… Maybe your pet did, but we can't really understand him…" Bowser mumbled.

"Yo yo yoshi," Yoshi grumbled, evidently not content with being called a pet.

Rosalina noticed Luigi's discomfort. "Enough. He does not need to hear this. Let us be glad that he is still alive and not imprisoned."

"No… I need to know," Luigi said quietly. "Tell me, Bowser, was that your first rescue attempt in the Palace?"

Bowser coughed uncomfortably. "Er… No. It wasn't. If I'm being completely honest, I went there to try to get Mario."

Luigi stamped his foot. "Of course. Of _freaking course_! Everyone forgets Luigi! I'm starting to think there's only four other people in the world who actually know my name!"

"Luigi, please calm down- " Daisy started.

" _Why_!? For Grambi's sake, even when I'm stuck as a freaking servant, suffering like the rest of you did, no one remembers me!?"

"Luigi!" Daisy yelled.

Luigi went quiet, startled.

Daisy sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, they just got me out of there as well. In one day I went from being the ruler of Sarasaland to a lowly servant, and was like that for nearly as long as you. I understand it's hard to swallow, but that's the truth."

Luigi took a long, shaky breath. "I… I'm sorry, I…"

Bowser sighed. "No, you deserve that. It was a pretty dick move on my part, considering your Mario's brother and all. Although…" He looked over at Rosalina. "You thinking what I'm thinking? He's got that fire in him."

Rosalina nodded. "I agree. I think he'd be a fine choice."

Luigi looked between the two in confusion. "Choice? Choice for what?"

Bowser began walking away, motioning for Luigi to follow him.

* * *

The two traversed the darkened corridors for some time before coming across another room. Bowser unlocked it, going in and holding the door for Luigi to follow. It was far less accommodating than the previous room, only having a single desk and chair with what looked like some kind of corkboard behind it. There were various papers strewn everywhere, and there was a map of the three kingdoms on the board.

Taking a look around, Luigi began to see what the room was used for. "You're making battle plans. You're trying to fight back."

"You got the idea," said Bowser. "For weeks and weeks I've been laying out some potential attacks, what we can expect from the freaks in return, et cetera."

"You actually think we have a chance?" Luigi asked, becoming hopeful.

"Right now? Hell no," Bowser replied. Luigi's face sunk. "But, with you here now, there might be."

Luigi gave him a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking," Bowser said. "For years now, it's been clear that there's a flaw in whatever plan I come up with. Hence the reason you two plumbers beat me every time."

Luigi caught on to what Bowser was alluding to. "I-I really don't think that'd be a good idea. I mean, _me_ lead the charge against the Shadow Queen? I'm no expert on combat or stealth! If you're looking for a leader, maybe you should have broken Mario out instead of me."

"That's no way to think, kid! You're one of the most powerful people I know, second only to your brother. You can't just give up already!"

Luigi thought about it for a moment. However, something was off. Bowser never gave him or Mario compliments. What was he trying to get at?

"You… You're just doing this for yourself, aren't you?"

Bowser looked around the room quickly, obviously trying to keep his gaze away from Luigi. "Wha? No, I'm serious! Right now, you're the only one who can lead us to victory!"

Luigi crossed his arms. "You just want to be able to kidnap Peach again, right?"

Bowser coughed uncomfortably. "No, I, uh… Okay, fine, you got me. I don't like you. I don't like any of your friends out there. Most of all, I can't stand your brother. But I'll be damned if I let some random demon-witch-thing come in and steal Peach from me. Not gonna happen." Bowser looked away, ashamed that the plumber could see through his plans, but then something he didn't expect happened.

Luigi laughed.

For the first time in months, a member of the servant class was letting out a hearty, enthusiastic laugh. Though Bowser would never admit it, it was something he had been missing.

After Luigi's laughing fit, he started speaking again. "Same old Bowser… No need to get defensive. Old habits die hard, right?"

Bowser shrugged. "I... Guess so?"

"I'm in. You want to take back what's yours? Fine. Whatever it takes to get me in front of that demon so I can fight for my bro."

Bowser was taken aback. Luigi never sounded this confident. Ever. "Alright, alright, don't go all edgy on me. You're sure about this?"

Luigi nodded. "I've never been more sure about anything. No matter what, I'm getting my bro out of there."

Bowser clapped him on the back. "That's what I like to hear! Let's get the others debriefed for the first mission. It's time we fight back against this hellspawn!"

"Good idea… And Bowser?"

Bowser looked up, seeing what Luigi could possibly want now.

Luigi smirked. "Watch your language, please."


	4. Chapter 3

**VA/N: Welcome back! Sorry for the incredibly long delay, this chapter was originally supposed to go up yesterday but I got hit with an incredibly long homework assignment. Also, this chapter was originally supposed to be a bit shorter than the previous ones, but it ended up being a bit longer due to some things that I felt should be added.**

 **First of all, I'd like to thank SmashBrosFan96 Jr and ViolaHarmony for following and hackeline83 for favoriting!**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **TGN: Thank you for saying that! I know it is kind of strange for Bowser to be acting so OOC, but I feel like it was something he did in Super Paper Mario as well, so I don't think it's too far off from what his character would actually do.**

 **SmashBrosFan96 Jr: Thank you! Personally, she's one of my favorite Mario villains as well. I'd be interested in finding your comments on YT. Personally, I didn't even think about Sonic Forces when I was writing this, I was more inspired by the main premises of the Far Cry games(specifically 3 and 4). I understand what you're saying about Rosalina. I know that, by order of release date, she technically shouldn't be in the story, but when I was outlining what I wanted for the story I found it difficult to assign roles to certain characters without breaking the "chronological" timeline. Without going into a long-winded paragraph about the story being an AU or saying that TTYD happens after Galaxy, the long story short is that I needed more "main" characters to fill roles, and I had to take some liberties. She is quite important to the story, though, as you'll find out in a later chapter.**

 **ViolaHarmony: Thank you! I had to throw something in there about Luigi being "player two," as I found it quite humorous in the earlier Mario and Luigi games.**

 **With that, I bring you the next chapter! Spoiler alert, I hope you like cliffhangers... hehe.**

 **Also I forgot to put this in the last chapters but I don't own anything except the plot, Mario belongs to Nintento.**

* * *

Chapter 3 – The Raid

The resistance's first "group meeting" was… abysmal, to say the least.

Initially, Luigi was allowed to take the lead, and the others were paying a great deal of attention. As time went on, however, Luigi became less and less sure of himself as he was speaking, causing Wario to interject.

"How's about we just attack that crazy witch lady right now? We got a decent number of people here, they don't stand a chance."

Luigi sighed. "As much as that sounds like a good idea, I'm not crazy! I want to get my bro out as soon as possible, but we can't just go in there without any support!"

Waluigi sneered. "Who put you in charge anyways? You're just too scared, like usual."

"Will you two just shut up!?" Daisy shouted, getting to her feet.

"Oh, you wanna go?" Waluigi threatened, also standing up.

"If you keep demeaning Luigi like this, even though he's doing his best, then I do!"

"It's on, princess!"

Daisy leaped across the common room and tackled Waluigi. The two rolled around on the floor, punching, kicking, and scratching each other. Wario began cheering for Waluigi, while Toad began doing the same for Daisy.

"Um, guys, do you think we could- " Luigi started.

"Shut up, greenie!" Wario shouted. "This's the most entertaining thing to happen since all this shit started!"

Before the fight could get any worse, Bowser decided to pull the two apart. "I have an idea. How about we return you to the work camp we found you on and pretend you never existed?" he snarled, staring Waluigi down.

Waluigi grumbled to himself but made no further argument.

Bowser dropped the two, allowing them time to return to where they were sitting before. Luigi started talking again, but he found it much harder with the newfound tension in the air. How could they even make a dent on the Shadow Queen's regime when they couldn't even work with half of the current team?

"Um, okay, I think I have an idea," Luigi said. "Bowser, you said that Mushroom Castle was taken over?"

Bowser nodded. "The freaks have it locked down. One of the witch's main underlings is living there. What was her name… Marilyn? Something like that. Anyways, she's got the entirety of Toad Town working in some kind of mine. Digging for gems or something."

Luigi cut him off before he could ramble on more. "So what about this? We take back the castle, we get the citizens on our side, that gives us an advantage!"

"I don't really know if we'd get an _advantage_ , per say, but I certainly wouldn't mind having more people on our team," said Toad. "I'm in."

"Seconded," Daisy said.

"Yoshi!"

"I'm down."

"That's a marvelous idea. Count me in."

The group looked over at Wario and Waluigi, the only two not to have agreed.

"What?" grumbled Wario. "Can't we have our opinions? I'm out. I'm not risking my life for some random people I've never met." Waluigi nodded in agreement.

Luigi scratched his chin, thinking. He turned to the rest. "Hey, have you guys thought about how much of a reward we'd get if we actually pull this off?"

"What do you mean- Oh!" said Toad. "Yeah! We'd be rich! Filthy rich! I don't think there's anyone who'd refuse to donate a few coins to the guys who saved the world!"

The others agreed, making sure to emphasize how much of a "reward" they'd get. Though they knew that there simply just wouldn't be one, it was the only way to get Wario and Waluigi on board.

After they had each made their own over-extended, hyper-exaggerated monologue (with the exception of Rosalina, as she refused to lie about anything), Luigi presented the idea to Wario and Waluigi again.

"Hell yeah!" shouted Wario. "Where do we sign up?"

Luigi smiled. "Right this way," he said, motioning towards the exit door. Wasting no time, the two criminals rushed out, leaving a trail of dust behind them.

"Damn, you sure got a way with words," muttered Toad, sliding off the couch and moving towards the door.

The rest of the group followed suit, slightly nervous about their first raid.

* * *

"Hey, Wario?"

Wario grunted, acknowledging Waluigi's question.

"Why'd we agree to this crap again?"

"We're supposed to get paid for it," Wario growled. "And we better, after this shit…"

The two thieves were currently being walked through the hallways of Mushroom Castle, the hallways much darker and more sinister looking than they remembered. The two noticed the new decorations quite quickly, as they didn't remember Peach ever adorning the halls of her castle with solid-gold Bill Blasters, which they recognized as Bombshell Bill Blasters. They spotted various other amalgamations, like Dark Bones and Swoopulas, as well as several Chain Chomps positioned at possible escape routes. A few minions were watching over beaten up, abused Toads as they pushed heavy carts of rubies, sapphires, and various other gems. The two could only assume that these were from the mine that Bowser had been talking about. Their hands were bound behind them by some kind of spell induced by two Dark Wizzerds, one in front of them and one behind.

What only Wario and Waluigi knew, however, was that they were being used at the "bait," so to speak, by intentionally getting captured to distract the guards. They also had incredibly small microphones embedded into their clothes, so the others could hear everything that went on around them.

Eventually, the Wizzerds led them to a large, open room, which they immediately recognized as a throne room. Like the rest of the castle, this room underwent heavy renovation, as the walls were now made of a dark purple stone that still had some jagged edges to it. The throne itself was made of the same thing, but the actual seat was smoothed out for comfortable sitting.

Atop the throne the two saw a large, hefty shadow figure wearing a yellow-and-white witch's hat. They were brought to around ten feet from the shadow before they were tossed to their knees.

"So you're this Marilyn we've heard so much about, huh? Don't look like much to me," Wario said, only to receive a small blast of magic from one of the Wizzerds.

The shadow nodded. "Guh huh! Buh huh huh!"

Wario and Waluigi looked at each other, confused. "Uh… Come again?" Waluigi asked. He too was zapped by a small bolt of lightning.

Marilyn motioned to something behind the throne. A Dark Bones came out, laying its piercing red gaze on the two captives.

"Muh huh! Guh huh huh huh!" said Marilyn.

The Dark Bones, appearing to understand her perfectly, began to speak. "Since you two are clearly not intelligent enough to understand her majesty, I shall translate. My princess wishes to say, 'What do you think you imbeciles are doing within my kingdom? I have explicitly laid out strict policies and regulations about trespassers, but you two seemed to ignore them completely. Do you wish to explain yourselves, or shall I have my minions escort you to the torture chambers immediately?'"

Wario and Waluigi, once again, looked at each other in shock. How the Shadow Siren had relayed that much information to the undead koopa was beyond their comprehension.

Wario decided to try digging for information. "You say you're a 'princess?' Hah! You don't belong on a throne. I don't say this much, but how about giving it back to the previous owner?"

Marilyn let out a deep, hearty laugh. She mumbled some more nonsense to the Dark Bones, who began to translate again. "'Why yes, after our queen established her rule on the land I, along with my sister, were made to be the new princesses. Also, remember what I said before about you two being imbeciles? Don't you remember that the previous owner, as you say, of this throne is currently providing a host body for our queen? You two are truly clueless.'"

Wario and Waluigi's faces turned red with anger, and they began to shout various profanities towards the Shadow Siren. Marilyn seemed to find it amusing, as she let out a small giggle. She murmured something to the Dark Bones. "'Enough talking. You have already been granted a great level of mercy by being allowed this much time before torture. Minions, take them away.'"

Wario and Waluigi struggled against the Dark Wizzerd's grasp. Though they knew their efforts to escape were in vain, they were actually executing the next step of the plan. With Wario's massive bulk and Waluigi's lankiness, it required nearly every minion Marilyn had at her disposal to keep the two under control. With that, they were taken away, but the quickest route to the torture chambers was, coincidentally, by the largest set of windows the castle had.

* * *

"Alright, the coast is clear," Luigi whispered, putting the binoculars down. Waving for the rest of the group to follow him, he quietly dropped down the outer castle wall. The group of five silently made their way into the castle, making sure not to slam any doors or even breathe too loudly. The trek to the throne room went as perfectly as they could have hoped. There were few guards nearby since most of them were handling Wario and Waluigi, and those that remained were easily disposed of.

Eventually, they reached the doorway to the throne room, which had conveniently been left open. Luigi put his hand up to signal the others to stop, then slowly peeked into the room. Marilyn was too occupied with the large piles of gemstones to notice him, so he waved the others onwards.

Slowly, cautiously, Luigi approached Marilyn from behind, intending to deal with her like the group did with the others.

"You think you assholes are _so smart_."

The group of six jumped, startled at the sudden voice. Turning around, they found the horde of minions that had supposedly taken Wario and Waluigi away had somehow approached from behind. The two captives themselves were being held in purple energy spheres, like the one Luigi had seen Mario in originally.

A hammer bro walked to the front of the crowd. "You seriously think that we wouldn't find these?" He held out the microphones they had given to Wario and Waluigi. "You all're even bigger dumbasses than I thought."

The Dark Bones who had translated for Marilyn before once again emerged from behind the throne. Marilyn mumbled something to it. "Unfortunately, my princess wishes to inform you that your little break-in was a failure, something I'm sure you've already acknowledged. However, we have something much better planned for you, something that I'm sure will be entertaining for all."

Without warning, a large trapdoor opened up beneath the group of six. They fell about fifty feet before landing in what looked like a dirt arena. Wario and Waluigi were tossed in as well.

"Hah! A pit of mud? That's all you freaks had planned?" Bowser laughed.

Marilyn walked over to the edge of the pit. Leaning over, she let out a beckoning whistle, like one might make to a pet.

The ground beneath the heroes' feet began to shake. Looking around, they saw a large metal door begin to open. It revealed a massive orange dragon that let out a mighty roar.

Luigi gulped. "Mama mia, my brother wasn't kidding. That's Hooktail."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wow, it's been a while since the last update. Sorry about the delay, I've been very busy recently but I've finally gotten around to finishing this chapter off! I'm not particularly great at writing fight scenes, so I do apologize if that part's rough around the edges, but I think I've gotten it to a point where it should be okay.**

 **Also, if you've read this far, I might as well put this disclaimer here. While the recent chapters have been relatively lighthearted, I cannot say the same for future ones. Some of the later ones involve much darker themes that will be presented in a psychological-horror style. There is a very real possibility that some viewers might find them too disturbing. Please take that into account when reading further on. This warning is probably unnecessary for most of you, but I thought I might as well throw it out there just in case.**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **TGN: Yeah, I figured that Marilyn wouldn't be a surprise, considering how the Shadow Sirens popped up at the end of the game when the Shadow Queen was resurrected. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that, in the lore, she, Beldam, and Vivian served the Queen in the past. About Hooktail, I always just kind of assumed that she just left after being defeated in TTYD, and she was one of the Queen's pets, so I figured that the pet would return to its master. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Derick Lindsey: You're certainly right about that! This chapter should answer your question about the partners ;). To tell you the truth about Kammy and/or Kamek, I honestly didn't even think about them when I was outlining this out. I have seen many good stories with them as main/side characters, but they were just never that memorable to me. Sorry. One last thing, you say in your review "... Shadow Queen _and Mario_..." Mario will return soon, but I won't say anything more.**

 **I don't own anything except for the plot. Mario and all related properties belong to Nintento.**

 **With that, please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Four – The Dragon

The heroes looked around nervously as the beast stepped out of its room. The pit they were in was surrounded by stadium-like seating, and it was a full house. Elder ones and regular citizens filled the benches, eagerly waiting to see Hooktail feed on the rebels.

The dragon let out another roar, then addressed the heroes directly. "Who dares step foot on the new lands of the Queen?"

Wario and Waluigi's jaws dropped. "Y-You're a _girl_?" they asked, dumbfounded.

Hooktail released a plume of fire in their direction. Luckily, the two were able to make it out of the way before they got seriously burnt. "Why yes, I am a _girl_ ," Hooktail replied, her voice venomous. "Have you never considered that there may be females outside of your own species, worms?"

Waluigi's face went red. "You take that back! No one gets away with making fun of how thin I am!"

Hooktail groaned. "That's not even… You know what? Never mind." She settled onto her stomach, taking a look at each of the people in front of her. "Amuse me. I at least appreciate know why my food ends up down here."

Luigi gulped. "W-We're gonna take you down! This demon-witch-thing isn't gonna keep control of the world forever!"

"Yeah!" shouted Toad. "I've handled worse than you!"

Hooktail let out what must have been a chuckle, but it sounded more like a growl to the heroes. "I always get a kick out of you miniscule pests trying to act all heroic. Really, it's what's made these past few months so enjoyable, getting to listen to your petty cries for help." She reared up, showing off her full size. "Do you think you're the first resistance I've had fed to me?"

"You… You've _eaten_ other people!?" Daisy shrieked. She always liked Mario's stories about man-eating monsters that he'd dealt with, but she wasn't prepared to face one herself.

"What do you think dragons do, morsel? Eat _plants_ and be _nice_ to people?"

Daisy shuddered. "That… That is _so_ messed up…"

"Enough talking!" shouted Bowser. "Let's get on with it! I'm not gonna sit here and get eaten!"

"I do not believe that that is a good idea, Bowser…" whispered Rosalina, but it was too late.

Bowser sneered at the dragon. "Oh, look at you. All big and powerful with your size and your wings and your… FIRE BREATH!" As he said this, he released a fireball of his own, hitting Hooktail on the snout.

Hooktail roared and recoiled, back legs hitting the wall. "ENOUGH! You will all die for the Queen!" With that, Hooktail released a wave of fire, one much stronger than the one she had shot at Wario and Waluigi before. The heroes ran back, trying to keep as far away from the fire as possible.

"Hah! That's all you got?" Waluigi said, pulling a bob-omb from his pocket. "Take this, ya cheater!"

The explosive landed near Hooktail's foot and went off, causing the dragon to growl in disapproval.

"I've got an idea! Yoshi, give me a boost!" Luigi said. The green dinosaur ran up to him, allowing him to climb onto his back. "Okay, get me as close to Hooktail as you can!"

"Yo yo yoshi!" Yoshi chirped, then started running towards the dragon. Hooktail shot multiple fireballs at the duo, but Yoshi's quick reflexes and speed kept them safe. It wasn't long before they were right next to the beast.

"Jump!" shouted Luigi. Yoshi did as ordered, which gave Luigi the chance to leap off of Yoshi's back and onto Hooktail.

"What is this!? _GET OFF OF ME_!" Hooktail roared. She began bucking back and forth violently in an attempt to get the plumber off her.

Luigi, though, was able to get a strong hold on one of Hooktail's antenna-like formations. "I've got her distracted! Go for it, guys!"

Yoshi delivered a strong kick to Hooktail's snout as he was running back to the others. Waluigi continued preparing bombs, which he gave to Wario to toss, as he was able to throw them further. Toad was able to climb up and join Luigi, trying to help him keep the beast under control. Bowser launched continuous fireballs, hitting the dragon in various areas. Rosalina shot bursts of magic at her which would try to calm her down, but to little success. Daisy, though, was having some sort of panic attack at the back of the group.

" _ENOUGH OF THIS_!" Hooktail bellowed, finally managing to toss Luigi and Toad off of her. They landed by the rest of the heroes and quickly regained their footing. "It's been… Fun. But look at me now. Do you see how little your pathetic attacks did to me? Honestly, the worst thing about that scuffle was the fact that you filthy creatures _touched_ me. But now, you'll get to see what happens when you upset a dragon…"

Hooktail reared back, preparing a blast of fire that would completely incinerate the arena. So maybe a few elder ones would get hurt, but no matter. All she could think about was destroying and devouring those annoying little brats once and for all.

Luigi, at the head of the group, looked around nervously. He had no idea what to do next. It was clear that, despite their best efforts, they had no way to defeat such a monstrosity without Mario at their side.

"Hey! Guys who're about to get eaten!"

The group turned to see someone calling their attention in the stands. It was a koopa wearing a cyan sweatshirt, green shell, and a bandage on his nose. "Don't draw attention to me, but I've got something that'll help you out!" He pulled a small red object out of his pocket and tossed it towards Luigi.

Luigi caught it, revealing the object to be a red plastic circle with a white music note on it. "What's this thing!?"

"Just put it on and hit her!" the koopa shouted before disappearing into the masses.

Luigi shrugged. "I guess we don't really have any other option…" Pinning the object to his overalls, he jumped up and punched Hooktail's stomach as hard as he could.

The room went silent as a cricket's chirp resonated from the punch.

Hooktail severely recoiled. When she came back around, she looked at the plumber with a fearful expression. "W-Where did you get that!? H-How did you know!?"

Her distressed voice was cut off as she turned to deliver a dragon-sized pile of vomit.

"You're… _Afraid_ of crickets?" Toad asked, confused.

Hooktail, panting heavily, tried to explain. "I-I ate them once… Gave me a horrible stomachache… Just the thought of it makes me want to- " She was cut off again as another wave of nausea hit her.

Bowser started laughing. "Gah ha ha! That's one of the funniest things I've ever heard!"

"Silence!" Hooktail spat, but there was no energy behind it.

"Come on, guys! Let's go!" Luigi shouted. The rest of the group rallied behind him and charged the dragon. In short time, Hooktail was on her stomach, nearly unconscious. The audience was completely silent, as none of them had ever seen anyone defeat the beast. Even the elder ones couldn't bring themselves to jump in and attack the heroes.

The group walked up to Hooktail's head. "Are you… Are you happy now…?" the dragon asked weakly.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this," Rosalina said. "You truly are such a magnificent creature."

"Yeah, a 'magnificent creature' who was going to eat us alive," mumbled Toad.

The dragon let out a pained breath. "It's never truly over, is it? Every time, you… You… You _maniacs_ act all high and mighty because you claim to be saving the world," she whispered.

"That's because we _are_ saving the world," Luigi said. "This world has no place for servitude and sadness. One ancient demon isn't going to change that."

Hooktail's expression became amused. "That's what you believe, huh?" She let out another groan, then began speaking again. "Haven't you even considered the fact that this is how it was supposed to be? Those Crystal Stars… They were created by man to prevent this from happening a thousand years ago. If they hadn't tampered with nature themselves, maybe we could all live in a better world…" The dragon's eyes began to close.

"No!" Luigi said. "You're not dying on us!"

"What other use do I have?"

Luigi pointed upwards, where the trapdoor was still open. "Go. Be free. I'm sure you can easily break out of here, unlike us."

"Free…" Hooktail mumbled. Suddenly, the dragon began to stir. She rose to her feet, causing the heroes to back away. "You are right. Thank you, green one. I shall remain indebted to your kind." With that, the dragon flew upwards, through the trapdoor, breaking a hole in the ceiling and flying off.

Wario snorted. "I can't believe that just happened. You just _let that thing go_!?"

Waluigi put a hand on his shoulder. "For once, I'm siding with them. I may be a crook, but I'm not killing anything that doesn't deserve it."

"Doesn't deserve it!? It tried to eat us alive!" Bowser growled, coming to Wario's defense.

"Come on, guys," Luigi said. "Let's just get up there and take down that shadow thing."

"Uh, I think we have a bigger problem right now!" Toad shouted. The group turned to find that the elder ones and minions in the audience had climbed into the arena.

"Those assholes got rid of the dragon! Get 'em!"

The mass charged at the heroes. Luckily, they were able to get into the room Hooktail had previously been in and shut the doors behind them, locking the denizens out.

While they were looking for a way out, they heard a door open. The same sweatshirt-wearing koopa from before came out. "That was awesome, guys! I tell you what, that brings me back to the good old days!"

"Uh… Thanks?" Luigi said. "But who are you? And what the heck did this badge-thing do?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I should've said that first. I'm Koops," the koopa replied. "I was one of Mario's partners when he was running around in Rogueport. I was there when the shit hit the fans, pardon my language. That badge I gave you makes your attacks make cricket sounds. We found it when we were in Hooktail's castle originally."

"Nice to meet you!" Luigi said. "We can get introductions out of the way later, right now we need to get back up to Marilyn!"

Koops' face hardened. "Right. Follow me, this'll take you right back to the throne room."

The heroes followed Koops up a narrow spiral staircase until they reached another door. Like the koopa said, it opened into the throne room behind the throne itself.

The heroes ran around it to find Marilyn attempting to gather some of the gemstones from the mounds. Upon seeing them, she dropped them in surprise. "G-Guh!?"

"That's right, we're back!" Toad said. "We handled your dragon just fine, how do you feel about fighting us now?"

Marilyn's face returned to a neutral expression. She snapped her fingers, calling the translator dark bones back to her. She mumbled something to it and it began to speak. "My princess wishes to inform you that, for now, we shall be surrendering. You may have this kingdom for whatever you wish, but we do not promise you any protection from the Queen's forces. We _will_ return." With that, the dark bones crumbled to pieces and Marilyn slipped away into the shadows. Turning around, the group saw the Dark Wizzerds and Phantom Embers leaving through the hole in the ceiling. The bombshell bill blasters powered down, and the chain chomps were allowed to escape through windows.

"Well," Luigi said. "Somehow, we did it. We actually won."

The group let out a loud cheer, relishing in their victory.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Hooktail was defeated, my queen. Marilyn has surrendered the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Unacceptable. They will regret their actions. I have a job for you."

"Anything, my queen."

"I want you to destroy that resistance and make them pay for what they have done."

"Of course, my queen."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Finally, I'm back! I'm terribly sorry for how long this took to come out, I've been busy with schoolwork since finals are coming up. Hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently during the summer, but I'm not going to make any promises. I should point out that this is another chapter that is not as dark as some of the others, so if you were hoping for that I apologize. They will be coming, though, so stay tuned for that.**

 **Fun fact: Without this AN, this chapter is exactly 2,200 words long.**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **TGN: I can imagine the struggle. When I first played TTYD, even though I had a strategy guide for it, I struggled with some of the later bosses, specifically Smorg and Magnus 2.0. I was also really young at the time, so that might have something to do with it haha. For a long time I actually didn't know the Attack FX badge actually weakened her, I just used it because the strategy guide told me to. And I couldn't bring myself to write about Luigi actually killing something. I just feel that it's not in his character. That conversation at the end was just something I added last-minute, as I though it ended the chapter nicely. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Hackeline83: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **SmashBrosFan96 Jr: Thanks for validating what I said. Some of the lore from TTYD and Super Paper Mario is still kind of fuzzy for me, as it's been awhile since I've played either of them. Thanks for the positive review on the fight, I often find that I'm the worst at writing fight scenes for some reason. And yes, the darkness is coming, but not quite yet, there's some stuff to get out of the way first. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Derick Lindsey: My original intention was to have Hooktail die, but I just couldn't bring myself to actually have Luigi kill off anyone. I just feel like that's not his kind of thing to do. Like I said, Mario will return soon, but I won't say anything else for now. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Triggered fan: Honestly I just update whenever I feel like it. The story isn't completely written out, there's just an outline of major events, so I do have to actually write the chapters when the time comes for it. I try to update weekly at least, but I've been quite busy lately. Hopefully this chapter is enough to tide you over for a bit!**

 **Also I should probably mention that any Daisy fans will absolutely hate me for this chapter because she's OOC and other various reasons, but there is a reason for it, as you'll see later.**

 **With that, I'll stop rambling and let you get to the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5 – The Aftermath

The heroes exited the castle, walking into a crowd of cheering Toads.

"There they are!"

"They beat the dragon!"

"We're free!"

"Woohoo!"

The horde of people gathered closely around the group, making it difficult for them to move. Glancing around at each other, they simply decided to push through the crowd the best they could. Slowly, but surely, the eight dragon slayers and single koopa made their way out of the horde. They stopped for a bit to catch their breath.

"Didn't think that we'd get this much attention already," Luigi said.

"Meh, who cares," Wario snorted. "If they're not paying me for saving their butts, I don't want to hear it."

"Pardon me!"

The group turned to see a rather disheveled and beat-up looking Toadsworth walking towards them. His reliance on his cane was more pronounced than usual, as he now had a visible limp.

"Master Luigi! I assumed you were imprisoned along with the other citizens of Rogueport!" he said.

"I was," Luigi replied, "but these guys got me out." He motioned towards the rest of the group. Bowser cleared his throat, annoyed. Luigi rolled his eyes. "Fine. Bowser got me out."

Toadsworth was shocked. "B-Bowser!? You cannot trust that monster! He must be in league with these demonic creatures!"

Bowser stomped over to Toadsworth. "Alright pal, you listen here- "

"Oh, uh, come on, we're all friends here," Luigi interjected, positioning himself between the two.

Toadsworth huffed. "Fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you. You've got yourself quite a team here, though. I'm sure that you'll be able to trounce that witch just fine along with Master Mario's help! Speaking of him, where is he? I would have thought he'd have escaped with you."

The group's faces darkened. "Mario… Mario's still in there…" Luigi said quietly. "In the Queen's palace…"

"MY GRAMBI!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "How is this POSSIBLE!? WE MUST RESCUE HIM IMMEDIATELY!"

"Chill out, old man," Bowser grumbled. "As I see it, we got no chance busting in there right now. We're trying to build up a resistance first, get more people to fight on our side, then we have a chance."

"I CANNOT ALLOW THIS! MASTER MARIO MUST BE RECOVERED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"

The elderly Toad continued rambling on. Glancing at each other, the group decided to quietly sneak away while he was distracted.

As they were walking, Luigi brought up something that had been bothering him. "Uh, Koops? Have we met before?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw you in Rogueport a few times when Mario stopped there," the koopa replied. "That's probably where you remember me from."

"You also claim to have challenged that dragon in battle before now?" Rosalina interjected.

Koops rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, yeah, heh heh, I did. That thing ate my dad and continued terrorizing Petalburg, so I teamed up with Mario to help stop it. Somehow, my dad survived, and we got the first Crystal Star!"

"So we can just beat up giant lizards and get free money?" Waluigi asked excitedly.

"Uh… No."

Waluigi mumbled something about priorities but said no more.

Suddenly, Daisy walked up next to Luigi, grabbing his hand. "Um, Luigi? Can we talk about something in private?"

"Oh, uh, of course," Luigi replied. "Go on ahead, guys. We'll catch up."

* * *

The rest of the group obeyed, leaving Luigi and Daisy behind. The two found a private spot in between two buildings. "What's up?" Luigi asked.

Daisy shuffled around, visibly uncomfortable. "Um… It's just that… I don't know if I can do this, Luigi…" she said. "I… I did practically nothing fighting that dragon, and… Oh, I don't know…"

Luigi moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

Small tears began to form at the corners of Daisy's eyes. "You and the others are just… So much more used to this kind of shit than I am… I'm just… I'm just _scared_ , Luigi. I don't want to lose my life, but worse, I don't want to accidentally cause one of you to lose yours…"

Luigi's breath caught in his throat. "You're not saying…?"

Daisy nodded. "I am saying, Luigi. I'm sorry… I'm out. I can't do this."

Luigi's eyes widened. "What? No no no no no, you can't just quit! We were so successful! We freed this entire kingdom! Are you saying that you don't want to help the other ones?"

"No, I… I just can't go on all these big adventures like this… It's just too much for me…"

Luigi sighed. "I don't like it, but if that's how you really feel, I won't stop you."

"Isn't there anything I could do from here? Like a radio operator or something?"

Luigi's eyes lit up. "Hey, that's a good idea! You've got a good head on your shoulders, you can help keep us coordinated in the field! Come on, let's go pitch the idea to Bowser!"

* * *

"You're kidding me, right?"

Luigi sighed, exasperated. "No, for the last time, we're not kidding. I seriously don't want her getting hurt out here, and I think we're on to something with this."

Bowser rested his head on his palm. "No. Not gonna happen. You may be the guy in charge here, but take it from someone who's been commanding an army since he was a baby. We need all the help we can get in the field."

"Yeah, someone who's plans fail every damn time…" Toad mumbled.

"If you guys don't mind me offering, I'd be willing to take her place!"

The group turned to see that it was Koops who spoke.

"You?" Bowser asked. "I won't lie, you got spunk, kid. But not enough strength for working in the field."

Koops crossed his arms. "Excuse me? I was alongside Mario for nearly his entire journey, and you're going to tell me that I don't have the guts for adventure?"

"Bowser, please," Daisy sighed. "Let's be honest for a second. I'm not one for adventure. The only time I was ever in trouble was when I was kidnapped by Tatanga. All I did was play the damsel in distress for Mario. Other than that, I'm just a girl who likes sports and racing, not a fighter."

"For once, I agree," Waluigi interjected. Wario nodded, showing his approval.

"I do believe that it would be wise to have Miss Daisy return to the bunker," Rosalina said. "Though I am sad that she cannot continue the journey with us, someone to keep us all on the same page would be quite useful."

Bowser threw his hands up. "Alright, alright, fine." He pointed towards Daisy. "You. Go back to the bunker. I've got a huge computer set up that's already connected to the mics the Warios were using."

"Hey, he's not my brother!" Wario shouted, receiving a hard elbow from Waluigi in return.

"Whatever," Bowser continued. "You get that thing turned on, you can communicate with any of us no matter where we are. If we find any, we'll pick up some extra mics along the way. Deal?"

Daisy nodded, relieved. She would never admit it, but she could never express how thankful she was to be able to return to the bunker safely.

"Alright. Green 'Stache, take her back," Bowser said, waving in the direction of the bunker.

"Gotcha," Luigi replied. Taking Daisy's hand, the two began to walk back to the Darklands.

"What a bunch of saps," Bowser muttered under his breath.

* * *

After around two hours, the two made it back to the bunker entrance.

"Thank you, Luigi," Daisy said. "I know I often come across as loud and brave, but this just isn't for me. I'm sorry…"

Luigi put a hand on her shoulder. "No, don't be sorry! Like you said, you're new to this kind of thing. All you have to do now is try to keep us as well organized as you did during the basketball game last year," he said, grinning.

Daisy let out a small chuckle. "That really was a lot of fun. You know we have to do it again after this is all over, right?"

Luigi smiled. "Heck yeah!"

After opening the door for her and giving her one last hug, Luigi began to head back towards the Mushroom Kingdom, so he could try to figure out where they would go next.

After searching around for a bit, Daisy eventually found the computer Bowser had been talking about. Pressing what appeared to be the power button, the screen flickered to life. On it was a green window labeled "Connections." Scanning down the list, she found "Microphone 1" and "Microphone 2," both of them apparently having a perfect connection to the computer. Cautiously, she clicked on the "Contact" button on the right of mic 1 and tried speaking. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

"HOLY SHIT! What the hell was that!"

Daisy roller her eyes. Wario. He must have been sleeping close to the speaker.

"Sounds like she actually got the thing working," came Bowser's voice.

"Maybe try not to blow my ears out next time," Wario grumbled.

"Okay, what else should I do?" asked Daisy.

"We're waiting for Luigi to get back," Toad replied. "Then we're gonna decide who's ass we're gonna kick next!"

Daisy laughed. "Okay, I guess I'll be on standby, or something." With that, she closed the connection, bringing back the ominous silence of the underground base.

Suddenly, the power went out.

Daisy nearly jumped out of her skin, standing up from the chair. She looked around, trying to find what the problem might be, but something caught her eye that terrified her.

Someone had been standing behind her.

The lack of light in the bunker didn't allow for Daisy to recognize any facial features. She decided to try speaking to it.

"W-Who are you!?"

"Relax," the figure said quietly. "I'm not here to hurt you… Yet."

Daisy was frozen in place. By the voice, she could tell that the intruder was male, but she couldn't make out anything else. Somehow, this was more terrifying than the dragon had been. "W-What do you want t-then? And what do you mean not _yet_?"

The figure held up his hands. "I said relax, princess. Grambi, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Daisy tilted her head in confusion. "I'm… Not sure how to respond to that."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. I'm just rambling on. Now…" He began pacing from corner to corner, preventing Daisy from identifying any more on him. "Where are the rest of your friends? Are they still in the 'Mushroom Kingdom,' as you refer to it?"

"Why the hell do you want to know?" Daisy snapped.

The figure held up his hands. "No need to get angry. I'm simply asking you a question."

"Well, sucks for you, I'm not giving you an answer," Daisy spat.

The figure sighed. "Your refusal to answer has, by no fault of your own, given me the knowledge I'm after. Now, what to do about you, a witness…"

"Don't even think about trying anything, asshole," Daisy replied. "I've got my friends on radio right here. Believe me, as soon as you leave, they're gonna hear about this."

"Yeah, about that," he said. Daisy could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "How about we make a deal? You keep quiet about this conversation, I'll keep your boyfriend back there from meeting certain death. How about that?"

Daisy's eyes widened. She wished oh so badly that she could say no, call up the others, and have them deal with this creep.

But no.

She couldn't let anything happen to Luigi.

"…Fine. I accept."

"That's a good girl," the figure replied. It began to turn to leave, but looked back at Daisy. "Remember this. I may have done nothing to you this time, but be assured that it will be different when we meet again. Long live the Queen."

With that, he disappeared into the shadows.

Almost simultaneously, the lights came back on.

Daisy took a deep breath and sunk back down into the chair.

Oh, how she hated not being a hero.

* * *

Upon returning to the group and hearing the success Daisy had with getting the radios to work, Luigi began formulating a new plan. "Okay, so we have the Mushroom Kingdom now. The other two strongest areas of power the Queen has are the Beanbean Kingdom and Sarasaland. Where do you think we should go first?"

"Let me think here…" Bowser replied. "If I remember right, Beanbean's being held by someone named Beldam, and Sarasaland's ruled by someone named Vivian. I've heard nasty stuff about Beldam, so we should probably head to Sarasaland first."

Koops' eyes widened in shock. " _Vivian_!? She was one of Mario's other partners! She would never work for that witch!"

Bowser shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, kid. I'm just saying what I heard."

"Hmm… You might be on to something, Koops," Luigi said. "Maybe we can try to get this Vivian person to come back to our side. Is she good at fighting?"

"Tremendous!" Koops replied, suddenly blushing. "N-Not like I watched her or anything…"

"Okay then, it's settled," Luigi said confidently. "Sarasaland, ho!"


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm sorry for delaying these longer and longer! As I get more into the story, I find myself disliking certain ideas I had previously laid out, so going back to redo an entire part takes up some extra time on my part. Sorry. This chapter has a foreshadowing scene that I added last-minute, but I think it connects this chapter to the last one really well.**

 **I'd like to thank invinciblebritishfishandchips for following! (That's an amazing username by the way lol)**

 **NOTICE: This chapter contains references to severe abuse and depictions of minor abuse.**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **Derick Lindsey: The number of characters is part of it, but mostly I just felt that she didn't have a method to actually combat the enemies. I know that she could've just punched and kicked like a normal person, but since she hasn't been a part of a main adventure game (aside from Mario Run I guess), I couldn't find a good place for her character in the combat scenes. Yeah, that person in the bunker was interesting. We're just gonna have to see who it turns out to be ;). The thing with Koops and Vivian I added because a lot of people seem to ship them together and I thought I'd just reference that. But you're right, I'm not really focusing on relationships here. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **ViolaHarmony: Yes, having a dragon in your debt can be quite useful, we'll have to see if Luigi remembers that promise ;). I probably should have explained where Koops came from a bit more in retrospect. I thought about editing the chapter after I posted it, but I decided that it could wait until a later chapter where (spoiler :0) more of the TTYD partners have joined. Glad to know I'm not the only one who struggles with fight scenes haha! Just keep practicing! Vivian definitely has a role to play in the upcoming chapters, including this one. Thanks for the double review!**

 **hackeline83: Yes, I know the feeling you have... it's coming ;). Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Guest: That chapter will come eventually, I hope you stick around long enough to find out! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **With that, I bring you the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6 – The Second Kingdom

Sarasaland.

A continent separate from the main Mushroom Kingdom, this once-desert-wasteland is now a very populated kingdom of its own. Though not as bright as the Mushroom Kingdom at first glance, travelers would often find themselves faced with warm welcomes and friendly citizens.

That, however, is no longer the case.

The streets remained mostly deserted, save for a few Wizzerds and dry bones. Citizens, when not forced into labor, were confined to their homes and rarely, if ever, saw the light of day. Occasional screams and shouts could be heard in the distance. Most people assumed that it was some insane citizen who thought that they could break free from their metaphorical bonds. The screams lasted, at most, a few minutes, before whoever it was went completely silent.

Just outside the capital city, an old, rusted warp pipe protruded from the top of a hill. Slowly, a green hat could be seen rising out of it, followed by a pair of blue eyes, taking in their surroundings.

"The coast is clear," Luigi whispered. Cautiously climbing out of the pipe, he was followed by his fellow heroes.

"Holy shit…" Toad mumbled. "Never seen this place so empty."

"Eh, who cares. Let's just get in and get out," Waluigi grumbled, starting to walk towards the city walls. He was immediately grabbed by Bowser, who pulled him back.

"Are you insane? You go in there, you'll get ripped to shreds," the koopa king said. "I mean, when I say that we shouldn't bust in somewhere…"

"Shh!" Luigi held up his hand, silencing the rest. There appeared to be some sort of commotion going on inside the town. Luigi pulled out a pair of binoculars and began watching.

There were three citizens, who appeared to be Toads, being led into the middle of the street by a group of Wizzerds. Once there, an unexplained shadow appeared on the ground before them. From it, a figure similar to Marilyn arose, but much smaller and had a red-and-white hat instead.

Koops nudged Luigi. "That's her. I seriously don't understand why she'd do this after what we went through…" He drifted off into thought.

Turning his eyes back to the binoculars, Luigi was just in time to watch the Toads being treated to green blasts of energy from the Wizzerds. The heroes could hear the screaming from where they were situated, giving them chills.

"We cannot stand here and let these poor people continue to be tortured!" Rosalina said.

Yoshi chirped angrily, seconding her opinion.

Luigi sighed. "I know you want to get in there and fight, but Bowser's right. We'd get destroyed. Who knows how many more of those things are nearby? If we're gonna do this, we have to do it stealthily."

"Ooh, I've always wanted to try this in real life!" Toad whispered excitedly.

Luigi pressed a hand to the small receiver in his ear. "Daisy, is there any way to sneak around the wall?"

"There should be a hidden door on the east side," her voice came through the speaker. "That is, if those freaks haven't already found it."

"Alright, thanks." Luigi turned to the rest of the group. "Okay, we need to get to the east side of the wall. Daisy says that there's a secret door that we can use to get in."

"We know that, dipshit," Wario said. "We can all hear her, remember?"

Luigi's face went red for a bit. "Right… Sorry. Okay, let's go!"

* * *

Unbeknownst to the group of heroes, someone had quietly followed them through the warp pipe. The figure had been peeking over the rim, analyzing who he was dealing with.

He felt quite confident with himself. The two thieves would be easily disposed of. Their boldness and self-confidence would practically take care of them for him. The koopas and the Yoshi would also not be much trouble, along with that annoying Toad friend of theirs. The space princess might take some time, but it would be mostly inconsequential. That left just one left.

The brother.

The figure sighed. He knew firsthand that Luigi Mario, though he tended to let his nerves get the best of him, was a worthy opponent. After all, he had learned from the best there is. He knew that even if all of the plumber's friends were defeated, the man in green himself would fight until the bitter end.

Not unlike himself, he supposed. While he admired Luigi's talent and abilities and would have preferred trying to convert him to Her side, he knew that the plumber must go.

Putting these kinds of thoughts aside, the figure began to sneakily follow the heroes.

* * *

Upon reaching the east side, Luigi radioed Daisy again. "How are we going to find the door?"

"There should be a brick that pushes in," she replied. "If I remember right, it's in the tenth row up from the bottom."

Bowser growled. "Great. Only two miles of wall to check. At this rate, we'll have the world saved in a hundred years!"

"Will you shut it for once and get looking?" Toad grumbled.

The heroes each took up a position at different parts of the wall, making sure to mark where they started so no one would waste too much time checking bricks that had already been tested.

After a tedious half-hour, it turned out to be Wario who found the correct brick. Pushing it in, he nearly jumped back when a large section of wall began to open up into a dark room. After calling the others over, the walked through the pitch-black room until they found another door. Cautiously opening it, they found that it opened up into the city.

"Okay, we're in," Luigi whispered over the radio. "Do you have one of those for getting into the castle?"

"Are you kidding me?" Daisy retorted. "After getting kidnapped _once_ I beefed up my security! The only way in and out is through the front gate. Maybe _someone_ should take notes…"

"You know, that's not actually a bad idea…" Bowser wondered aloud. "It would make it easier to find you pesky plumbers- "

"Now's not the time for this," Luigi whispered. "We're in, we just need to get into the castle, and, if Koops is right, convince Vivian that we have a chance in all of this."

Slowly walking from building to building, the heroes took no chances when making their way towards the castle. Luigi took the lead, notifying the rest if there were any enemies blocking their path. A few times, they were able to sneak up on one from behind and take care of it quietly. Before long, they were hiding on the eastern wall of the Sarasaland Castle.

"That wasn't so bad," Toad said optimistically. "Maybe this'll go better than last time!"

"I feel like anything could be better than last time," Waluigi said.

"That is a good question, though," Luigi said. "Bowser, does she have a dragon too?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Bowser replied. "I'm pretty sure I saw the purple one head back towards Rogueport after it torched the Darklands. We should be safe. Er, _relatively_ safe."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but how do you think we can enter the castle?" Rosalina inquired. As if on cue, two Wizzerds opened the front doors and began floating away.

"Now's our chance!" Luigi said. Dashing up behind them, he performed a swift double jump on their heads to bring them crashing to the ground, unconscious, before they were able to lock the doors. Waving for the rest to follow him, he entered the castle.

The main entryway was as grand as Luigi remembered it, even if it was a bit darker than he recalled. Marble pillars stood hundreds of feet high, holding up a beautiful stained-glass sunroof with the image of a flower on it. The candles that normally provided a warm, welcoming glow now had a blackish-purple color that looked like it shouldn't even emit light, but it was.

Suddenly, the heroes ducked behind some furniture as two more Wizzerds floated by.

"That was close," breathed Toad.

Luigi held up a hand to silence him. Slowly moving through the castle, he tried to remember the quickest way to the throne room. He found that he was able to reach it in only a few minutes.

"Okay, we're going to go in, convince her to join us, then we blast out of here like maniacs. Ready?" Luigi asked his group. They all nodded in return. "Okay, here we go!"

They took up positions on either side of the door. Luigi held up his hand for a countdown.

'Three, two, one…'

The heroes charged through the doors, preparing for the worst upon entry.

They found quite the opposite.

The throne room was not only completely empty, but it also looked like it hadn't been used in months. Dust and cobwebs lined the walls and ceiling. The curtains were closed, blocking out nearly all of the light from outside.

"The hell is this?" Wario complained. "This was supposed to be fast and easy!"

"Yeah, what gives?" Waluigi growled.

Luigi looked around in confusion. "Uh… So much for that." He turned back to the rest. "So I guess we just go from door to door until we find her?"

"No," Koops interjected. "No, this isn't like her. Even if she's been turned to their side, she'd never just disappear. She's too loyal to her allies to do that."

"Huh," Bowser said. "Cool. Oh well. Looks like we're going with what Green 'Stache says- "

Suddenly, a low giggle could be heard throughout the room.

"You have to be shitting me," Toad said. "We walked right into a trap _again_?"

"Yes… Yes, you did," the voice came again. The heroes looked up at the throne to see Vivian materialize before them. "I didn't think that you'd be coming for me next. You know, since I was once _his_ partner."

"Viv!" Koops shouted. "Come on Viv, it's me! Koops! You remember me, right?"

Vivian turned her gaze towards him. "Koops… Hm, not ringing any bells. Whoever you are, you probably just weren't important enough for me to remember."

Koops recoiled, horrified. "What… Dear Grambi, what did they _do_ to you, Viv? I know you're a Shadow Siren and all but… Geez…"

Vivian giggled again. "You really think that my Queen tampered with my mind? No, my little subject. I made this choice myself. Do I regret it? Sometimes, maybe, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons."

Luigi's face hardened. "We're not gonna let you keep ruling these people like this! We're gonna take you down!" Everyone except Koops cheered in approval.

Vivian laughed again, this time more heartily. "Oh, will you now? I already had something planned for this meeting… So, enjoy."

The sound of gas spraying into the room could be heard. Almost immediately, the heroes began to feel incredibly tired. One by one, they sunk to the floor, trapped in a deep sleep.

Luigi was the last one to remain conscious. "You… You won't… Get away… With this…"

Vivian laughed again. Slowly, she made her way over to Luigi. "Shh… Sleep, my subject… Sleep…" She manually closed his eyelids.

He was out cold.

* * *

Luigi woke up in a very uncomfortable position.

Lifting his head from his chest, he found that he was chained up to a wall by his wrists and ankles. His shirt had also been removed, and his overalls unbuttoned.

Looking around, he saw that he was in a small room with stone walls and a single lamp. There was also a table in front of him. On it was what appeared to be a small knife with an elegantly engraved hilt.

It wasn't long before Vivian rose out of the shadows before him. "Missed me?"

Luigi spat in her direction.

Though it didn't hit her, Vivian still recoiled away from Luigi's spit. "Seriously? That's just disgusting."

Luigi refused to meet her gaze. "Disgusting acts for a disgusting traitor."

Vivian sighed. "Really? You're still going to lecture me about this?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Luigi retorted. "I believe what Koops told me. I saw you with Mario back in Rogueport before all of this started. You were his _friend_. You left that crazy Grodus guy's side because my bro gave you the respect and acceptance you deserved. And now… Now you're just back where you started."

Vivian held her face in her hand, laughing to herself. "Let me tell you, you can make a really good speech. Maybe you should've done that instead of princess rescuing."

Luigi turned to look at her. "Why are you being so nice to me all of the sudden? Just trying to get my guard down before you torture me?"

Vivian looked up at him in shock. "What? No! I'm not going to torture you, dude! Calm down!"

Luigi cast her a confused glance. "But what about…?"

Vivian's eyes lit up in acknowledgement. "Oh, those guys in the street… Yeah, that was a bit awkward. If those Wizzerds hadn't been there and I'd have caught them myself, I wouldn't have done anything to them."

"So… Wait a minute, I'm really confused!"

Vivian sighed. "I guess you deserve to hear the whole story. So, after the whole mishap with miss "I'm-going-to-kill-you-all…"

* * *

 _Almost immediately upon escaping the Palace of Shadow, Vivian ran into the people she wanted to see the least._

 _Her sisters._

 _Well, her sisters and that other guy that she and Mario had fought before._

 _"_ _Well, well, well, look who it is," Beldam sneered. "Looks like you chose the wrong side, bitch!"_

 _"_ _Yeah! Did you see how that demon lady crushed that Mario guy? That was great!" Doopliss said. Marilyn elbowed him hard in the side, silencing him. "Alright, alright, leave the talking to her, got it…"_

 _"_ _Can you… Monsters just leave me alone?" Vivian said. She tried to sound tough, but ultimately ended up sounding small and weak._

 _Beldam cackled. "Oh no, sweetie! We have some unfinished business with you! That is, until her majesty decides what to do with a traitorous little bitch like you."_

 _Vivian could feel herself beginning to tear up. "N-No, you-you're not going to win, w-we can still b-beat you- "_

 _"_ _Oh, will you just SHUT UP!" Beldam screamed. She slapped Vivian across the face, knocking her down to the ground._

 _Vivian put a hand to the cheek that was hit. Slowly getting up, she tried to look tough again. "I-I've beaten you before, I can do it again- "_

 _"_ _WHAT DID I JUST SAY?" Beldam slapped her again, causing her to cry out in pain._

 _Beldam leaned down next to her ear. "Now, you listen to me. I'm going to make sure you pay for your mistakes. The hard way. We're going to have some sister-bonding sessions over the next few weeks. I'll try to make them… non-fatal."_

 _With that, Beldam cast a spell to make Vivian fall unconscious._

 _When she woke up, she was faced with more pain._

 _More physical pain._

 _More mental pain._

 _More emotional pain._

 _Pain._

 _Pain._

 _Pain._

 _Before long, she was crying herself to sleep every night, praying to the star spirits above that there was some way that Mario could fix this._

 _She prayed, though she knew that it would do nothing._

* * *

By the time Vivian finished her story, she had tears rolling down her face. She had released Luigi from his bonds during this time, so he was able to try to comfort her some.

"Every damn day, that… That… _Monster_ put me through the worst things you could imagine," she continued. "After a while, I knew that the only way to stop was to submit and reclaim my 'rightful place'…"

Luigi put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. You're safe now. Help us escape, and we can take down your sisters and that demon. We still have a chance to save the world!"

Vivian nodded, wiping away her tears. "You're right. I know where the others are being held. I made sure that I would be the one to "torture" them personally, so they should be fine."

Luigi nodded and got to his feet. "Let's get out of here, then." Pushing open the door, he turned back to Vivian. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask. You said there was a guy by the name of Doopliss with your sisters? Whatever happened to him?"

Vivian, eyes glued to something beyond the door, pointed in fear.

Luigi turned to find his path blocked by a figure in a white sheet with what appeared to be a party hat on top. The sheet had holes cut in it for eyes and a mouth.

"That," the figure said in a devilish voice, "would be me."

"He… He's supposed to watch over me… Make sure I don't misbehave," Vivian said.

Luigi gulped.

Looks like this plan wouldn't be going as smoothly as he had first thought. Or second thought.

They were going to have to fight this thing.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Finally, here's another update! All of my finals are done, so I hope that I am able to actually publish these faster as we go on. Of course, the end of the school year means a return to work, so that may cause some delay. Sorry :(. But anyways, here it is! I never intended for the chapters to get this long, but I guess it's just something that happens when you get into the meat of a story or something.**

 **Thank you DameFlemmard and silu785 for favoriting and SagaOfJenny for following!**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **hackeline83: Yes. Busted indeed haha. Thanks for reading!**

 **Derick Lindsey: Your theory was mostly correct, but you'll have to read on to see what he really thinks of her. I agree with you about Daisy, but like I said, there is a reason for her staying behind, as you will see in the coming chapters. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **SmashBrosFan96 Jr (and Guest because the reviews are practically identical): I have to say I agree with you. It's for plot convenience, as I like to call it, and I know it's not the most realistic thing but I'm just trying to fill out the outline I have haha. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **With that, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 7 – The Ghost

Bowser decided that this was the most irritated he had ever been.

It seemed like hours passed after he woke up chained to the stone wall. The chains themselves were nothing to him, as he was easily able to break them and free himself.

But he would have been much happier if he could actually find the door out of this place.

He scanned the walls over and over, trying to find which section would magically pop out back into the castle. The room's dim light did little to help the search, and he knew that trying to light something on fire would quickly use up the oxygen he had available.

"Well, this frickin' sucks," he mumbled. "At least that shadow chick didn't come after me first." He resumed pacing around the room's perimeter, pushing each and every stone block he could find. There had to be a secret door out. There had to.

After another half hour of mindless searching, he returned to the middle of the room and sat down. Sighing, he rested his head in his palm, pondering.

"How the hell are these rooms supposed to work, anyways? How did I get in here if there's no way out?" He continued asking himself questions, but, again, he found himself with no answers.

"Green 'Stache better have a plan to get us out of this," he growled. "I sure as hell didn't sign up for torture with a side of suffocation." Angrily, he picked up the small stool next to a table and threw it at the wall in front of him. The wooden furniture crashed into pieces, sending splinters across the room.

Given energy from this brief moment of satisfaction, the koopa king resumed studying his surroundings. Peering over at the table itself, he noticed a small knife. He reached over and picked it up, examining it in his hand.

"Heh. This puny thing wouldn't do a thing against me. That is an interesting shape, though…" he said to himself. The end of the blade had several knobs sticking out of it. "Kinda looks like a key… Wait, a _key_!" He rose to his feet and began scanning the walls again, looking for anything that could be interpreted as a keyhole. After a few minutes, he did indeed find what he was looking for. Upon turning the knife in the hole, the wall itself opened up into the darkened castle hallways.

"Ha ha ha! Easy peasy! Now, I just gotta find that shadow girl and beat the shit out of her!"

He took off running down the hall.

"So, _princess_ , are you entertaining this peasant with your life story?" the duplighost asked, grinning cruelly through its sheet.

"Hey, don't talk to her like tha- woah!" Luigi started, but was pulled back by Vivian.

"This one is none of your concern, Doopliss. You were given no orders to check upon these prisoners," Vivian said, trying to reassume her disguise.

Doopliss laughed. "Do you really think I believe any of your shit anymore? Ever since she put you here, you've been trying to squirm your way out of it, weren't you? Well, I, for one, am _sick_ of it!"

"I said, you have no business with the prisoners. Return to your post… Or wherever you go when I don't have to put up with you."

"I said _drop it_!" the duplighost yelled back. "You have all of those soulless idiots out there who actually believe your lies! But I know the truth! Heck, your sister was right about you. You're nothing but a lying, deceiving sack of- "

He was cut off as his party hat went up in flames.

"Oh, shit! FIRE!" He ran away from the door, yelling for help.

Luigi, in utter shock at what had transpired, turned to Vivian. "Uh… Did you…?"

Vivian snapped out of the trance-like state her anger had put her in. "Oh! Um, yes, I did. Now come on, before he returns with more help."

Luigi followed her out of the room, still startled and mildly confused at what had transpired.

Humming to himself, Yoshi was bored out of his mind.

The position he had been hung in was definitely not the most comfortable one, and he could feel the chains beginning to chafe and cut into his wrists and ankles.

It wasn't long, though, before something caught his interest.

He could hear two people outside the room, talking in some sort of undecipherable language, presumably the elder ones' native tongue.

A third voice suddenly joined in, but this one he could understand. "Surprise, freaks!"

There were two loud crashing sounds, followed by some groaning. The sound of a door handle rattling, then a bright light.

"Yoshi?" he said, scared at what might be coming for him.

"Hey, kid," came the definitive voice of Bowser. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here."

Bowser himself then came in and broke the chains attaching Yoshi to the wall.

"Yo Yo Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped, happy to be free.

"Uh, you're welcome?" Bowser replied. "I'll make this quick. I've got Toad, Wario, and Koops going around to see if they can break the rest of us out. I made a bet with that greedy prick that I could get you before he could get his sorta-brother, so hurry up and let's get out of here!"

Sighing, Yoshi followed the koopa out of the room. The two looked around, but found no opposition. Bowser waved him to follow, and they began their trek to find the others.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Wario and Waluigi yelled as they ran down the hall.

Upon releasing the purple-clad plumber, Wario had accidentally tipped off a horde of Phantom Embers, which was now chasing them through the castle. The two thieves had attempted to throw bob-ombs at their pursuers, but to no avail.

"Quick, in here!" Waluigi shouted. The two ducked into a side room and hid behind some furniture. Hearts racing, they could feel the air around them heat up as the Embers entered the room.

The Embers, not ones for patient searching, quickly left the room behind, assuming that the duo had found another hiding spot.

"That was way too close, man," Waluigi whispered.

"Oh, shut up! At least I got your ass free!" Wario snapped back. Quietly, the two exited the room. Wario began heading back towards where Bowser had assigned them a meeting point, with Waluigi following him.

"What happened to the rest of the guys?" Waluigi asked.

Wario shrugged. "Dunno. The giant turtle got a few of us out then passed the job on to the rest of us. Pretty selfish if you ask me."

"You're one to talk," Waluigi grumbled.

Wario elbowed him. From there on, the two walked in silence.

"Quick, princess, you need to bust out of those!" Toad yelled, passing Rosalina her wand.

"Must I remind you, again, that I am not a princess?" she replied, complying to his request.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Toad said. Pulling out the small communication device, he tried to contact the bunker. "Daisy? Daisy, you there?"

"I hear you, Toad," she replied. "What's going on in there? I've been trying to contact you for hours!"

"Shit hit the fan," Toad grumbled. "I've got Rosalina with me, and Bowser, Wario, and Koops are looking for the rest of us."

He could hear Daisy gasp. "Y-You mean Luigi's held captive somewhere!?"

"Relax, princess, we'll find him," Toad replied. "Toad out." Putting the device away, he turned back to Rosalina. "Come on, we gotta get back to the rest of the team!"

"You needn't be in such a fuss about it."

Toad put his face in his hand. "No need to fuss about it? For Grambi's sake, they're trying to kill us! Why wouldn't I be in a fuss about it!"

"Because," Rosalina replied, grinning, "I can do this."

Waving her wand, the two appeared to have vanished.

Toad looked down at his arms, finding that he couldn't see them. "Woah! You made us invisible?"

Rosalina nodded. "That is correct."

"This is awesome! But why couldn't you do it before with all of us?"

"Magic has… Limitations, young one. Someday, I shall tell you."

Toad rolled his eyes, thankful that the space woman couldn't see it. "Okay, then. Let's go!"

Koops sprinted down the halls, panicking more and more as time went on.

"Dang it! Where the heck did she put Luigi?" he asked himself, wishing he could figure out the answer.

As if on cue, he reached a corner where he could hear someone talking around it.

"…But I know the truth! Heck, your sister was right about you. You're nothing but a lying, deceiving, sack of – oh, shit! FIRE!"

He could hear footsteps rushing towards him. Hanging close to the wall, he prepared to ambush whoever was running towards him. As the figure rounded the corner, Koops leaped and landed on it.

"Ow! What the heck, man! Get off of me!"

Looking down at what Koops landed on, he found a distraught and mildly charred duplighost. " _Doopliss_?"

Doopliss looked up at his attacker's face. "Oh. You again. Heh, long time no see?"

Disgusted, Koops punched the ghost's face. "Don't act all friendly with me! After everything you've done to my friends and I, do you really expect me to just forgive you?"

"Uh, no, actually," the duplighost replied. "Now, if you would kindly _get off of me_ , I'll let you continue on your way unharmed. Deal?"

"Heck no!" Koops spat. "There's no way I'm letting you just leave! Tell me, who were you talking to back there?"

Doopliss' face went from a mildly annoyed expression to an evil grin. "Oh, you want to know who did this?" he said, motioning upwards with his head to draw attention to the burn marks on the top of his sheet. "It was your old pal, Vivian! Yeah, the one who betrayed you and joined the winning team!"

Koops' face turned stony. "No. You're lying."

Doopliss chuckled. "And you wanna know who's hanging around with her now? That green plumber guy! You know him, right?"

As if on cue, Vivian and Luigi themselves dashed around the corner and nearly ran into them.

Looking up, Koops stared daggers at Vivian. " _You_!" Leaping up from Doopliss, he tackled the Shadow Siren, seemingly trying to choke her out. "You damn traitor! You're not turning Luigi!"

"Koops, calm down!" Luigi shouted, pulling him off of Vivian.

"Calm down!?" Koops squirmed in Luigi's grip, trying to break free. "Let go of me! She's a traitor, Luigi! Don't trust her!"

"Koops, please relax," Vivian interjected. He stopped writhing and Luigi set him down.

"…Relax? You expect me to relax when I learn that one of my best friends abandoned everything we did on that journey? You expect me to relax when someone I looked up to betrays me?"

"She's not a traitor, buddy," Luigi said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Vivian filled Koops in on what happened after the loss to the Shadow Queen. Throughout the story, the koopa's expression turned darker and darker.

"Your… Your own sister… treated you like that?" he asked.

Vivian nodded slowly. "Not unlike how you were probably treated before you escaped."

"You… Know how I got out?"

"The Queen made sure of it."

Koops' face hardened. "That's it. I'm going to personally make sure that all of our friends get free. No matter what."

"Um, I know you two are having a moment, but where did the sheet guy go?" Luigi interrupted. Looking around, the trio couldn't see Doopliss anywhere.

"Damn it! I shouldn't have let him go!" Koops yelled.

"Don't feel bad about it," Luigi said, "but we need to find him!"

The three began running down the hall, back to where Koops had come from. Before long, they reached a large, open room with four other exits.

"This isn't ominous at all," Luigi muttered.

The three heard footsteps coming from each of the other doors. Bracing themselves for combat, they formed a triangle-like formation in the center of the room.

From one door came Bowser and Yoshi. From the next, Wario and Waluigi. From the last, Toad and Rosalina.

Luigi's jaw nearly dropped. "G-Guys!?"

"Luigi, get down!" Toad shouted. "That's the shadow chick that trapped us!" Yelling out a battle cry, he began running towards Vivian, fists ready.

"Wait!" Koops shouted, blocking him from reaching the Shadow Siren. "She's not really with them! It was a ruse the whole time!"

"Wah?" Wario growled. "You can't be serious! She was gonna torture us, then kill us until we were dead!"

"No, he's right," Luigi said. "She was just putting on a front. We're trying to break her out of here!"

"Heck no!" Waluigi yelled. "I don't trust that thing! You remember the last one!"

"Excuse me?" Vivian interjected, obviously not happy with being called a "thing."

"We don't have time to talk about this right now!" Luigi yelled.

"Urgh," Bowser growled, scratching his head. "I can't keep up with plot points this complicated!"

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard coming from the last unoccupied doorway.

From it emerged a dizzy and confused Bowser.

The rest of the team looked back at the Bowser that had previously spoken, then at the newcomer again.

"What… What happened? All I remember was getting that Yoshi out and then… Nothing…" the new Bowser said groggily.

"Hey! Who the hell are you? I'm the only Bowser around here!" the Bowser with Yoshi shouted, marching towards the newcomer.

The new Bowser shook his head, trying to break out of his dizziness. "What… Hey, I didn't know there was somebody else who looked as good as me!"

"As good as you? I'm the original!"

"Are you kidding? Everyone here knows that I'm the real Bowser!"

"Oh no," Vivian whispered.

Luigi turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"That's one of Doopliss' skills. He can take on the appearance of another person, and even gain all of their abilities," she replied. "Right now, there's no telling which one is the real Bowser."

Luigi, tired of listening to the two Bowsers arguing, decided to interfere. "Alright, back off of each other!" he yelled. Regaining his composure, he began to speak again. "Okay, I'm going to do this the only way I know how – from the movies. I'm gonna ask you each some questions, and the one that gets the answers correct gets to not fight us. Deal?"

The two koopas nodded, still glaring at each other.

"Where is your castle based at?" Luigi asked.

"The Darklands!" both koopas responded simultaneously.

"Who do you kidnap all the time?"

"Princess Peach!"

"Who's your greatest enemy?"

"Mario!"

"This is getting nowhere, greenie," Wario grumbled. "Let's just knock out both of 'em and see what that gets us."

Luigi held up a finger. "Hold on. I have one more question to ask." He turned back to the Bowsers. "What was your master plan behind your first attack on the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Ha! That's easy! I wanted to marry the princess, simple as that!" the Bowser on the left said.

"You've got it completely wrong, dude," the one on the right said. "I made all the annoying Toads into bricks, then kidnapped Peach since she was the only one who could break the curse!"

Toad grinned. "Looks like we have a winner, Luigi."

Luigi nodded. "Get that one!" he yelled, pointing to the fake Bowser.

"Aw, shit," the fake Bowser mumbled. "At least I get these sweet powers to crush you all with!" Tucking into his shell, he began rolling and bouncing around the room, trying to run over the heroes.

"I'm not letting this faker beat me at my own game!" Bowser yelled. He began chasing the runaway shell around the room, trying to grab it to slow it down.

It turned out to be Rosalina who was able to stop the rampaging duplighost. "Halt!" she yelled, shooting a blast of silvery magic at the fake Bowser. With a bright flash, he was laying on the floor, dizzy and confused.

"Get him!" Wario shouted, ramming into the fake Bowser's face. Luigi and Yoshi followed up with a dual ground pound.

"Hold on," the real Bowser said, waving for the rest of the heroes to stay back. "This freak's gonna impersonate me, I'm gonna be the one to take him out."

"I'd like to see you try," the fake Bowser replied, wisps of fire leaking out of his mouth.

Simultaneously, the two koopa kings shot a stream of fire at each other. The two fire beams met in the middle of the room, causing the others to have to shield their eyes from the light.

The real Bowser redoubled his efforts, pushing the collision point further towards the impostor. He could see the faker's eyes light up in panic before the explosion hit him. As the fake Bowser fell backwards, his appearance returned to his regular duplighost form.

Bowser walked up to the beaten Doopliss. "Had enough yet, you son of a bitch?"

Doopliss laughed weakly. "Fine. You got me. I yield."

"What're you laughing for then, freak?"

Doopliss' evil grin returned. "I'm sure all of you are still wondering what happened to _him_. You all know who I'm talking about. The red plumber." He pointed towards Vivian. "She knows. She knows where he is. I guess she'd just rather not tell you."

With that, the duplighost fell unconscious.

The figure watched the battle from the skylight.

He knew that Doopliss would fail. He was far too egotistical and often went in over his head. No matter. Sarasaland had fallen to the heroes.

Great. That left him a lot of explaining to do.

He turned to leave, but stopped. What the duplighost said at the end… Disturbed him. He knew that the heroes should never find out what happened to the older Mario brother, but that selfish maniac had planted the seed.

It would only be so long before the Queen's secret was out.

Whatever. He left the castle behind, heading back towards Rogueport, hoping that he could escape too harsh of an interrogation.


End file.
